Nine culinary arts students presented their best, most creative creations during a recent reception jointly sponsored by College of The Albemarle and the Chowan Arts Council, highlighting the student chefs’ professional work as an art form.
Meredith Timberlake, executive director of the Chowan Arts Council, said she was excited to spotlight cooking as art. She said the nine students visited the Arts Council and looked over paintings and sculptures in the gallery, and then each student picked a single piece that stood out to them. Then, the students went back and created an original dish inspired by what they saw.
Each chef was asked to comment on the art they selected and tell the audience how they translated that experience into an interpretive dish.
Lynn Nash chose a piece of art that featured the cartoon character Garfield.
“I might be taking my inspiration too literally, but what’s a good comic strip food for Garfield? Lasagna!” she said, answering her own question.
Nash made mini-lasagna hors d’oeuvers to keep with the evening’s requirements.
Helena Tocco-Ross produced a seafood platter based on a Victoria Rossman painting, “Koi Fish,” for which she used salmon and tuna sushi.
Erica Suarez, an immigrant from Columbia, was inspired by a V. Smth painting, “A Bird in the Hand.” She produced a basket of quail egg appetizers, which reminded her of home and her mother.
Christian Cortez was inspired by an L. Smith painting, “Festive Frog,” that featured a dancing frog in a top hat.
“I chose to make small servings of fried frog legs,” he said.
Isaac Bolton was inspired by the statue of a wolf for which the artist was not identified. He said it spoke to his fascination with Norse mythology, so he made Scandinavian meatballs served with poached salmon and pumpernickel bread.
Dylan Turek hails from Baltimore, so artwork featuring crabs by Laney Layton caught his eye. He made Maryland crab cakes and set them atop a bed of potato chips with cocktail, tartar, or remoulade sauce.
Antrell Graham was inspired by a space-themed painting from Fran Copeland titled “Drops of Jupiter.” He said he was fascinated by the stars, adding that the universe is too big for nothing to be out there.
“So, what food would you use to honor something big?” he asked.
He made several kinds of shrimp with flavors that were connected to the different planets.
Tyler Reed picked a painting by Dee Franklin featuring the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. He wanted to make clam chowder, but soups don’t work as hors d’oeuvres, so he combined bacon, milk, butter, and other ingredients to produce a twice-baked seafood potato.
Nate Colombo liked a painting of Scotch Hall that featured the Chowan River. It reminded him of home, so he made a dish inspired by his father’s tastes.
“I got some fried Polenta bread with a little bit of Pancho and a little bit of Parmesan cheese,” he said. “It’s deep fried and its on top of an arugula salad tossed in sherry vinegar, toped by a piece of catfish.”
The culinary program students topped off their dishes by serving peach spritzers and sangria.
The guests got to move from chef to chef, sampling their creations as much as they wished.
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